It's hard to believe we have been in northwest Arkansas for two years already, well three if you count the time I lived here before we got married. As I was thinking about everything that has happened over the past three years, I had this overwhelming reminder that God is good. He is so overwhelmingly undeservingly GOOD.
I moved here three years ago knowing no one. God provided me with a wonderful apartment which had been full until I randomly called one day when they had just had one open up (I signed the lease blind-I had never seen it before the day I moved in). It just so happened that a friend of a friend lived in the same complex. She quickly became one of my best friends, and I am still blessed by this friendship today! (Love you Hannah!) I also adopted our little dachshund Macie. God is good.
After moving to NWA I needed a job fairly quickly, and after lots of searching, a job at the athletic department tutoring athletes with learning disabilities fell into my lap. Not only was I completely blessed by sharing life and mentoring my students, after a semester, my hourly position turned into a graduate assistantship which allowed me to complete graduate school relatively debt free. God is good.
Looking back on the amount of money we made in our first year of marriage I'm really not sure how we made it. But we did and often had extra every month. God is good.
As I started applying for jobs my last semester of graduate school I applied all over the country, and we prayed for God's direction as to where we should be-not thinking in a million years it would be NWA. It just so happened the nursing home where I was interning at the time had an open position which I was offered and we decided to accept. It has been a wonderful year with my company and I have grown a lot as a professional and SLP, not to mention getting to work with my amazing co workers. God is good.
We joined First Baptist Church in Rogers and joined a wonderful young married Sunday school class. We have been continually blessed by the leaders, the friendships we have made, and the fellowship and community we have experienced at church and at bible studies. God is good.
Graduating from a private school for my bachelor's degree was very expensive, even after graduating in three years. As a result, I had pretty substantial student loans. I had some anxiety about being able to pay off the loans, and having to pay on them potentially for 10 years. After praying about it I felt God told me all my loans would be paid off within 2 years of my graduating from graduate school. I didn't know how He was going to do it but I believed He could do it. Within 8 months of graduating every student loan had been paid in full. God is good.
After having some unexpected expenses and needing to save for upcoming expenses of moving and traveling, God opened the door for me to work PRN (as needed) for another therapy company which has provided the extra income we have needed. God is good.
Last but certainly not least God has given me an amazing spouse who loves me, cheers me on, and is willing to go on this exciting adventure together across the country! I can't wait for this adventure. God is good!
Life has not always been easy or has gone as we expected it to go. There have been times of frustration, anger, and tears, but looking back on the past three years it is really incredible to see how much God has provided for us and our needs. I love that we can laugh at the future and be comfortable with uncertainty because we serve a God who loves us so completely, and because HE IS GOOD!
We are so thankful for our time spent in Arkansas and are excited for wherever we will be in the near future!
Melissa
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